


your smile, that lit up my world

by flowerheeseung



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Angst, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Falling In Love, Fighting, Fluff, M/M, its just for the plot, mentions of bruises, niki is whipped for sunoo, oh yeah i made niki fifteen, sunki cute, sunoo is whipped for niki, the 7000 words is so satisfying, they're just cute what can i say, this wasn't supposed to be this long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:40:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27251350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerheeseung/pseuds/flowerheeseung
Summary: Convenience store employee Sunoo catches Niki stealing in the middle of his night shift.And it seemed like he couldn't get the taller boy out of his head.(or, the sunki backstory from dive into you)
Relationships: Kim Sunoo/Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki
Comments: 10
Kudos: 139
Collections: enhypen fics





	your smile, that lit up my world

**Author's Note:**

> here is the sunki spinoff/backstory/prequel to dive into you!!
> 
> you don't have to read dive into you before you read this but i mean,,,,you could
> 
> also if the ending seemed rushed im sorry i really hadn't planned on this being so long hhh

Sunoo had always been a bright boy. You’d always find him smiling, no matter the occasion. His parents always called him their sunshine, and Sunoo had grown to love that nickname quite a bit, always making sure to live up to it.

But right now, as he was getting ready to work the night shift in his parents’ convenience store, Kim Sunoo was _lonely_.

His friends always came over in the morning, but at night they were busy, like Heeseung was, or his parents just didn’t allow them to go out late at night, like Sunghoon’s parents. So, Sunoo was all alone in the store, the chilly autumn air making him shiver. There were just a couple of people in the store at the moment, an older man who always came at night, claiming the store was more peaceful then, to which Sunoo agreed, and a couple of younger kids, looking through the snack aisle.

Sunoo sighed, flipping through a random magazine that lay on the counter, stopping at a fashion spread he gasped, _that sweater would look so cute with my cropped jeans, I’ll have to beg mom for that one,_ he thought, already picturing the look on his mother’s face if he asked for yet another clothing item.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice that the older man had walked up to the counter, the group of kids nowhere in sight, Sunoo hoped they didn’t pocket something while he wasn’t looking. He loved his neighborhood, but the children in it still had a lot to learn. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he rang up the older man, told him his total and wished him a good night before making sure he rounded the corner safely.

Turning back from the window, he eyed the now empty store. He sighed once again, he figured he might as well put some left over stock away on the shelves, since they looked quite empty. He made his way behind the counter, walking into the stockroom. He hesitated between filling the drinks or chips, but opted for the chips as they were easier to carry, Sunoo was a procrastinator if you will.

He was still in the stockroom, when he heard the familiar jingle of the door. He picked up the box of chips and rushed out of the room, scanning the store to look for the person that had come in. He saw a shadow in the far back of the store, so he yelled out a “Hello!” as friendly as he could, but the person said nothing back. Frowning, he shook his head, picking up the box again and making his way over to the corresponding aisle.

While walking over there, Sunoo noticed that the figure seemed to move away from him the closer he got. It just so happened that the person was standing in front of the sweets section, which was right next to the chips. Sunoo put the box down, keeping an eye on the stranger, as he thought their movements were quite strange.

He began sorting the bags of chips, putting them away with their respective brands, when he noticed the other person standing awfully close to the shelves. He slowed down his own movements, but when he saw a hand dart out of the stranger’s coat and the other making a bee line for the door, Sunoo yelled out “Yah! What do you think you’re doing?”

Sunoo’s voice made the other stop in their tracks, so Sunoo took the opportunity to head over to the person, and stand directly in front of them. They were still hunched over, but Sunoo could tell the person was slightly taller than him. 

He tried to stand a bit taller, he had never dealt with a thief before and he had to look scary, right? So he tried putting on his most serious face, but the other still hadn’t even looked up. Noticing this Sunoo spoke again, “Hello? Were you trying to steal from my store?” _Great question Sunoo, of course he was._

The other hesitantly lifted his head, still not looking Sunoo in the eyes though, but he could finally see his face. It was a boy, and even though he was taller than Sunoo, he _must_ be younger. The boy had such an innocent face, which was now morphed into a look of guilt. Sunoo noticed that the boy was still clutching the item he had grabbed, which was a bag of gummy bears. Sunoo snickered, the boy really tried stealing _gummy bears_ out of all of the things here?

Seeing as the boy still wasn’t talking, Sunoo sighed again, “Yah if you’re going to steal the least you could do is apologize? You look really young so I’ll let you off this once, but don’t think about coming back here again!” He said, snatching the bag of gummy bears back.

The other looked startled, the shock on his face from not being handed over to the police evident on his face. The boy quickly nodded his head, before making a deep bow and dashing out of the store.

Sunoo looked after him, seeing the figure clad in all black disappear around the same corner the older man had gone. Sunoo frowned, he hadn’t seen the, he presumed, younger boy before, and he thought he knew every kid in the neighborhood.

Shrugging the feeling off, he put the gummy bears back in place, and went over to finish stocking the shelves.

But the younger boy's face never left his mind.

-

It was a couple of days later, and Sunoo had the night shift yet again. He didn’t know why his parents didn’t hire more people, or well, he _did_ know why, but having your seventeen year old son work the night shift so many times seemed a bit much, in Sunoo’s humble opinion.

It was slower than usual tonight, the old man hadn’t come in yet, and Sunoo wondered if he would, seeing as it was later than the normal time the man would come for his groceries. Sunoo looked at the clock, it was almost 10:30 p.m and he was bored out of his mind. He had already filled all the shelves, and the magazines were boring to re-read. So, he opted to play on his phone for a bit, that wouldn’t hurt right?

He quickly took out his phone, scrolling through social media for a bit, sighing when he saw that people from his school were hanging out, he wanted that too, although his parents probably wouldn’t let him, and Heeseung and Sunghoon were no fun anyways, and those were kind of his only friend options.

Lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed someone coming in, the jingle of the door sounding so familiar that Sunoo often didn’t hear it. He tilted his head up, quickly putting his phone back in his pocket, before the smell of alcohol hit him. He scrunched up his nose in disgust, before trying to put on his most professional smile, welcoming the customer.

Said customer was a man, who looked to be in his late 40s. He stumbled around the store, and Sunoo could already see him going for the liquor section in the far back. After a couple of minutes, the man came stumbling to the front, slamming the beer down on the counter. His parents’ voices rang in his head, clearly telling him to never sell alcohol to someone who is already clearly intoxicated, which this man clearly was.

Sunoo hesitated, he had to tell the man he couldn’t sell this to him but he was scared of how he would react. He cleared his throat, and with the most stable voice he could manage said, “Hello sir, I’m sorry to inform you but store policies state that I can’t sell alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated, therefore I have to ask you to kindly leave the store.”

The man grumbled, before leaning over the counter, the smell hitting Sunoo’s nose and he felt like throwing up. The man pointed at him before saying, “You don’t tell m-me what to do, pretty boy.”

Sunoo stilled, he was visibly uncomfortable but the man continued anyway, “Matter of f-fact, how about you and I go and do something fun huh? You look like you could use something fun.” The pointed finger was now going over Sunoo’s cheek, and Sunoo was terrified.

He missed the familiar door jingle, signalling someone had come in.

“No-no thank you sir, I’ll ask you again to kindly leave the store.” Sunoo’s voice trembled, and the man snickered.

“Come one pretty thing just a little-”

“I think he told you to leave didn’t he?”

Sunoo jumped at the sound of another voice, and it seemed like the man hadn’t expected it either, turning around disgruntled.

Sunoo looked behind the man as well, before seeing the same face he saw a couple days back, of the boy who tried to steal gummy bears.

The boy had a much more confident posture this time, wearing all black once again, his black hair peeking out from under his beanie. The boy was almost as tall as the man, which was ironic, seeing as he probably wasn’t even half his age.

The man scoffed, looking back at Sunoo, who gulped at the stare, “You’re lucky this _kid_ showed up.” He stated, before leaving the store, beer forgotten on the counter, and Sunoo didn’t want to think about why exactly he was lucky.

He looked at the boy again, whose eyes followed the man out of the store, before turning back to Sunoo. He sheepishly rubbed his neck, the confidence from earlier thrown out the window, as the boy looked exactly the same as he had a couple of days ago.

“Hello, I-uh...I know you said I couldn’t come back here again but I just-I wanted to apologize, you know, for almost stealing the uhm….gummy bears.” The boy’s face went red at the last part, seemingly embarrassed.

Sunoo stared at him, the boy growing anxious under his stare, before he said, “That’s okay, you kind of saved me from that creep just now, so I guess we’re even.” Sunoo smiled, trying to calm the other’s nerves, which seemed to work as the younger stopped rubbing his neck.

“Ah that’s great! I’m going to uhm- look around for a bit, if that’s okay?” The boy said.

Sunoo snickered, “Are you going to pay for it this time?” He jokingly said, but it seemed like the other thought he was serious, as he frantically waved his hands, assuring him he would. “Relax I’m only joking! You can look around all you want, if you need anything you can call, I’m Sunoo by the way, Kim Sunoo.”

The boy seemed relieved at Sunoo’s joke, tension disappearing from his body. He looked at Sunoo once again, and the older felt himself shrink under his stare.

“Thanks, and my name is Niki.”

-

Niki, he had found out, _was_ indeed younger than him, as they talked for a bit more that night. Sunoo wanted some company, so he practically begged Niki to stay, after making sure the younger _could_ stay of course, and he agreed.

So, that led them to where they were now, Sunoo still behind the counter leaning over a bit to hear Niki better, and the latter on the other side of the counter, munching on the chips he had bought this time.

“Why did you try to steal gummy bears anyway?” Sunoo brought up, looking at Niki expectantly.

The younger seemed embarrassed once again, when he softly spoke “Ah, I was really hungry and I didn’t even want to steal anything, but I was so hungry I had to have _something_ and the gummy bears were the closest so...yeah.” He finished, eating some more chips.

Sunoo hummed, showing he understood as they continued talking, the older learned Niki was Japanese, and he had come to Korea a year ago with his dad, which explained the heavy accent. He couldn’t pry any more information out of the younger though, as Niki stated that he had to go now since it was already getting late. Sunoo pouted, but sent him off nonetheless.

They were standing at the door when Sunoo said, “If you want, you uhm...can come over more? I’m working the night shift again next Tuesday, but only if you want of course!” He quickly added, why did he want the younger to come over so bad?

Niki turned to look at Sunoo, and then shot him a smile, teeth and all, and Sunoo froze. The younger said, “Yeah hyung, I’d like that.” before waving him goodbye. Sunoo managed to lift his arm and weakly wave back, and when the younger rounded the corner he ran back inside.

He stood against the door for a bit, trying to calm down. He put a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating erratically. He thought back at the younger’s smile, and how he seemed to beam at the thought of coming over again. Sunoo quickly put both of his hands on his cheeks, slapping them lightly. _Get a grip Kim Sunoo._

-

The younger did come again that Tuesday, as well as the other two days where Sunoo had the night shift, which Sunoo was all too happy about. Niki often helped him if the store was empty, the younger cleaning the counter and Sunoo stocking the shelves. They quickly fell into a conversation again, talking with each other comfortably, as if they knew each other forever.

When they had finished all their tasks, they played something akin to 21 questions, where they took turns asking each other questions. They were basic questions, from ‘what’s your favorite color’ to ‘do you have any pets’. He came to know that Niki’s favorite color was black, which didn’t surprise Sunoo, and that he didn’t have any pets.

Sunoo asked why he had come to Korea next, the older’s curiosity taking over.

“For my dad, he had to come here for work.” Niki answered, absentmindedly playing with the packets of gum laying on the counter.

Sunoo nodded, before asking “Are you close with your dad?”

He had to stop letting his curiosity get the best of him, because he could see the younger visibly stiffen, his hand coming to a halt on top of the gum packets.

“My dad? Ah not really-” The younger began talking, but got interrupted by the door jingle, which promptly stopped his words.

Sunoo had to help the customer, and Niki told him he’d leave a bit earlier today, the clock only reading 9:30 p.m. Sunoo pouted again, not wanting the younger to leave, and he felt that the reason why had something to do with his question, he thought he would beat himself up later for it.

He quickly walked the younger out before helping the customer, the two of them waving each other goodbye, both sporting the same soft smile. Niki rounded the corner once again, and Sunoo went and helped the customer.

He couldn’t wait until the younger boy came again.

-

But he didn’t. A week went by with no sign of the Japanese boy, and Sunoo didn’t know why but he became anxious. His neighborhood wasn’t the safest, and he hoped nothing bad had happened to the younger.

Sunoo’s night was as uneventful as ever, the streets were empty and there was no sign of people coming in. He glanced at the clock, it was almost 12 a.m, he figured his parents wouldn’t mind him closing a few minutes early, so he went to do his closing task.

He had finished writing down the inventory, his body aching from the work he had done that day. He stretched his limbs, walking over to turn the door sign to ‘closed’ and turning off the lights. He locked the door and was about to walk to the door leading up to his house, since his family lived above the store, which was very convenient, when he heard rapid knocking on the door.

He turned around with a sigh, thinking it was probably a customer who would complain if he didn’t open the door, since it was still 2 minutes to closing time. But his face turned into a shocked expression, when he saw a familiar figure clad in all black hunched over against the window. _Niki_ , he breathed out.

Sunoo rushed to unlock the door, hands fumbling with the keys. Once the door opened the younger boy stumbled in, leaning against the counter. Sunoo quickly re-locked the door, before making his way over to the counter.

He rushed to Niki’s side, seeing as the boy could barely keep himself upright. “Yah Niki, what’s going on? Are you hurt?” Sunoo said, voice breaking as he panicked.

The younger tried speaking, but as soon as he opened his mouth he winced in pain. Sunoo let out a squeak, not knowing what to do. He didn’t have anything to treat Niki with here, and he didn’t even know what the younger had, so he only thought of one thing.

“Niki-ah, I’m going to help you up the stairs okay? My house is right above the store so I can help you there.” Sunoo said.

The younger nodded, and Sunoo helped him put his arm around the older boy’s shoulder. They stumbled up the stairs, Sunoo wasn’t particularly strong, and having a taller fifteen year old lean on him made it even more difficult.

They made it to the door of the apartment, Sunoo dropping Niki’s arm for a moment to open the door, the younger leaning against the wall in the meantime. Once the door was opened, he picked the boy’s arm up again, making their way through Sunoo’s apartment.

He was glad his parents were heavy sleepers, as Niki stumbled quite a bit. He sat the younger down on his bed, telling him to stay put while he got supplies to treat him. Sunoo rushed to the bathroom, _what do I even get? I don’t even know what’s wrong with him._ He grabbed everything he could find, from alcohol to bandages and went back to his bedroom.

The younger laid on his bed, arm thrown on his face as he breathed heavily. Sunoo rushed to his side quickly, setting his supplies down on the ground.

“Niki you have to tell me what’s wrong otherwise I can’t help you.” He pleaded, to which the younger dropped his arm and looked at Sunoo. His face seemed to think it over, biting at his lip nervously.

“Yeah...yeah okay.” Niki breathed out, trying to sit back up again, but he let out a pained cry when he tried. Sunoo gently pushed him back down, saying it was better if he laid down.

“My uhm….my side? My side hurts a lot.” Niki said.

Sunoo hesitated, “I’m...I’m going to have to take a look okay?” he said, to which the other nodded. Sunoo helped the younger take his coat off, as well as his sweater. 

The sight wasn’t pretty, Niki’s side was all bruised up, the bruises beginning to turn a nasty color. Sunoo gasped, putting a hand over his mouth. He had never seen a bruise this big before, and he hoped it wasn’t anything internally, seeing as the nearest hospital was hours away. 

He didn’t know if alcohol would help, but he dropped a bit onto a cotton pad anyway. He gently pushed the cotton pad onto the younger’s skin, to which he hissed, Sunoo apologizing once he saw the other boy was in pain. Sunoo then picked up the ointment his mother always put on him if he had a bruise, so he thought that must help right?

He lathered it on the boy’s skin, softly rubbing it in to not put any pressure on the bruise. The younger let out a sigh, and it seemed like he was calming down, his breathing evening out. Once Sunoo was done, he helped the younger up, wrapping his side in bandages. Niki slumped against his shoulder as he worked on the bandages, which made Sunoo flush at their close proximity.

He grabbed Niki’s sweater and helped him put it back on, trying to not put too much strain on his side. “Can you walk home Niki-ah? I can walk with you if you want?” Sunoo said.

The younger tensed up again, shaking his head frantically, wincing once more.”No hyung, I can’t please….can I stay here for tonight. I can sleep on the ground if you want just...please hyung.” 

Niki was practically begging him, big eyes staring up at Sunoo from where he was sitting on the bed. They stared at each other for a bit, Sunoo noticing the fear in the younger’s eyes and he sighed, feeling for the younger boy. He didn’t know why, but he could think of reasons why he didn’t want to go back.

“Yeah that’s fine Niki-ah, of course you can stay. And what are you talking about, the bed is big enough for both of us.” Sunoo said, noticing how the younger flushed at his words. The bed really wasn’t, but they’d make it work.

Sunoo quickly changed into his pajamas in the bathroom and went back to his bedroom. Stepping inside and gently closing the door, he noticed that the younger boy was already asleep on his bed. Sunoo chuckled, padding over to his bed. He gently pried the covers from under the Japanese boy, making sure he was covered warmly, before crawling in next to him.

Sunoo’s bed was against a wall, and Niki had tucked himself in the farthest corner possible, curling up on himself. Sunoo stared at the younger for a bit, which might seem creepy, but the younger looked so different than he usually did.

When he wasn’t sleeping, he stood tall, speaking to Sunoo with confidence, except for when he got caught. But now, he looked small, vulnerable. He frowned in his sleep, which made Sunoo’s heart ache. He wanted the younger to be at peace, at least when he slept, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

Sunoo’s hand itched, wanting to reach out to the younger so badly, so he did. His hand falling on Niki’s cheek, noticing how soft it was. His thumb stroked across his face, and Niki leaned in to his touch. The frown disappeared from his face, to which Sunoo sighed, relieved.

Sunoo eyes were getting droopy, the events of the day catching up to him. He closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep easily.

His hand still rested on Niki’s cheek.

-

Sunoo awoke to the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. He grunted, before noticing the other body in his bed.

_Right._

Sunoo jumped out of bed, startling Niki, who turned around, still sleeping. He opened the door, peeking out of it. He made sure the bed wasn’t in sight, as he didn’t know how to explain the boy sleeping in his bed.

His mom frowned at her son’s weird behavior before speaking, “Good morning sunshine, I just wanted to let you know that your father and I will be out till later this afternoon, could you look after the store until then?”

Sunoo stuttered, he usually only worked the night shifts because of school, but his brain reminded him that it was in fact a Saturday right now. He agreed quickly, wanting to close the door as soon as possible. He said goodbye to his mom before shutting the door, leaning against it. He heard his mom call out that he would have to make breakfast himself, before her footsteps disappeared down the hall.

Sunoo sighed, looking at the figure sleeping on his bed. He now had to not only look after the store, but after the younger as well. He hesitantly began waking Niki up, the older groaning about how he wanted to sleep for five more minutes. Sunoo smiled, he figured there would be no harm in letting him sleep a bit more, so he slipped out of the room as quietly as he could.

He began making breakfast, he wasn’t a very good cook but he managed to hold his own. He was in the middle of cooking when he heard a door close and shuffling down the hall. He turned his head, only to be met with a sleepy Niki. The younger’s hair was tousled from sleeping, and he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

“Hey,” Sunoo began softly, “are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, I think so. The pain must’ve worn off while I was sleeping.” Niki chuckled, trying to make light of the situation, but it wasn’t funny to Sunoo, not at all.

He made Niki sit at the table while he grabbed plates for breakfast. They sat together quietly, Niki picking at his food, while Sunoo didn’t know how to start a conversation about the boy’s condition.

“Are you….are you going to tell me how you got that bruise?” Sunoo hesitantly asked, wondering if he overstepped a boundary by asking.

“I’d rather not.” Niki said, shocking Sunoo. He hadn’t expected such a blunt answer from the younger, especially not when he came to _his_ store, all bruised up.

Sunoo tsked, “Yah, I think I deserve an explanation, don't I? I patched you up yesterday so that’s the least you could do.”

Niki slammed his cutlery down, which startled Sunoo. The younger stared at Sunoo before saying, “ _Deserve an explanation?_ I didn’t ask you to do all that stuff, so if I don’t want to tell you something I don’t have to.”

Sunoo was getting angry now, here the younger was, yelling in _his_ house, after eating breakfast _he_ made, sleeping in _his_ bed, and this was the thanks he got?

“Then why did you come to the store then if you didn’t want me to help you? Huh?” Sunoo raised his voice as well, clearly agitated by the response he was getting.

Niki seemed to contemplate what the older had said, and when he didn’t have an answer for the question he said, “I’m going to go, thanks for the breakfast, hyung.” and stood up.

Sunoo was rooted to his chair, seeing the younger walk past him after getting his coat from Sunoo’s bedroom. He stood up, walking to the door to put his shoes on, and Sunoo watched him. The younger opened the door and stood there for a moment, lingering in the door frame before heading down the stairs.

Niki didn’t turn around, and Sunoo didn’t stop him

-

He was working in the store yet again, having the day shift was something else for Sunoo. The store was busier than usual, although not extremely busy, as this was still a relatively 

small business. Heeseung and Sunghoon even visited that morning, which got Sunoo in a giddy mood, he loved his friends and was always happy to spend time with them.

Sunoo had just rang up the last customer in the store, and it was around the time his parents said they would be back, so now all that was left was waiting to be released from his shift. He stood behind the counter again, leaning on it. His mind was drifting off to Niki, _why was the younger so defensive?_ he thought, picturing back the bruise on the younger’s body, wondering how he even got a bruise that big.

His thoughts got interrupted by the door jingle, and when he looked over he was happy to see his parents. He smiled at them and asked them how their day was.

“Hey sunshine, it was great dear. Did you manage to hold up the store while we were gone?” His mother said, patting Sunoo’s head in the process.

He fixed his hair, whining at his mom, “Yes mom it went fine, I stocked up almost all of the shelves and-” Sunoo got interrupted by a person bursting through the door, startling Sunoo and his parents. 

All three of them looked at the door and Sunoo was shocked to see a panting Niki standing in the middle of the store. He looked out of the window frantically before focussing his gaze on Sunoo. He rushed over to the counter and said, “Hyung, please can I hide back here for a bit, I know you’re mad at me but please.” The younger pleaded.

Sunoo looked over at his parents, who had the same shocked expression on their faces as he had. Sunoo thought he would forgo his anger, seeing the genuine fear in the younger’s eyes again, the same fear he saw that night in his room.

He ushered the younger into the stockroom, closing the door hastily before going back to the counter. His parents were still in shock, and his dad asked him, “Sunoo, what was that? Who was that boy?”

“Ah-ah he-” Sunoo got interrupted once more, it seemed to become a habit now, by the door jingle. He saw a man walk in, looking around the store. He could see the man was actively looking for _something_ or _someone_.

The man made his way over to the counter, Sunoo gulped, he had a vague suspicion about who the man might’ve been looking for. “Hello,” the man started, seemingly polite, “I was wondering if you’ve seen a boy come in here? He’s about this tall and was wearing all black.” He stated, lifting his hand to show the boy’s height, one that seemed eerily familiar.

“No, sorry.” Sunoo deadpanned, staring at the man. He could feel his parents’ stares on him, wondering why he lied as they clearly saw Niki come in a few seconds ago. Sunoo shot them a pleading look, and he hoped they’d understand. It was the same look he had when he didn’t want to play with a classmate in kindergarten, who was picking on him at the time.

His mother seemed to pick it up quickly however, reassuring the man they hadn’t seen someone matching that description and the man looked at Sunoo again. He stared at him, and Sunoo stared back, not backing down. The man shot one last look at his parents, before turning around and leaving the store.

Once he was out of sight, Sunoo let out a sigh. He quickly ran over to the stockroom, where he found Niki sitting on the ground, fumbling with his hands. Sunoo crouched down and put a hand on the younger’s shoulder, telling him that the man was gone, and that he could come out now.

Niki hesitantly agreed, peeking out of the stockroom and once he was sure the coast was clear, he stepped out. He sheepishly stood there, not knowing what to do since Sunoo’s parents were looking at him intently.

“Yah, you’re scaring him with the staring!” Sunoo said, nudging his mom who then promptly stopped staring.

“Who is this Sunoo?” His father asked once again, and before Sunoo could even introduce the younger, Niki spoke up himself.

“Hello, I’m Niki. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused, I’ll leave now.” He said while making a bow. Sunoo reached out to him, grabbing his arm. He wanted him to stay.

“Nonsense dear, you’re not going anywhere. I saw how scared you were, how about we go upstairs for some tea hm? Your father can look after the store for a bit.” His mother said, talking to both Sunoo and Niki.

Sunoo was still holding onto the younger’s arm when they made their way upstairs. Once they made it to the table he let go however, to which Niki looked at him. He didn’t want the older to let go.

His mom made tea for the three of them and they sat down. His mother asked him if he was okay, and who that man was. His mother always had a calm and comforting aura, which made people open up to here quite quickly, Niki being no exception.

He started out softly, stuttering over his words a bit. He told them the man was his father, and that he was looking for him because they had a fight, again. Sunoo figured the other time must’ve been where he got the bruise, but he stayed quiet and listened to Niki speak.

The younger then said that the fighting started since his mother passed away a couple of months after coming to Korea. They had to make due with just the two of them, and Niki’s mother had always been the more calm and rational one in their family. Having that part of your family missing, Niki and his father often fought. Their personalities clashed too much and the other night seemed to be the breaking point for his dad.

He had pushed Niki into a table, which resulted in his side clashing with the end of the table, causing the bruise. He ran away after that, not wanting to be in that house any longer.

Sunoo and his mom listened, the boy almost tearing up at hearing Niki’s story. He didn’t know when, but he had grabbed the younger’s hand under the table, giving it a soft squeeze. Niki looked over at him, and gave him a smile, which made Sunoo’s stomach feel weird.

Niki continued, saying that they fought again that morning, his father being angry at him for running away and staying out the whole night. He left the part where he stayed in Sunoo’s room out, not wanting to give off a bad impression to his mother.

And when his father started throwing things around the house, he ran away again, his feet bringing him to the convenience store once more.

He finished his story with a sigh, looking up to gauge the reaction of Sunoo and his mother. The latter had a hand over her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief, while the former had tears forming in his eyes.

 _I shouldn’t have yelled at him that night,_ Sunoo thought, _he ran away from the fighting and I only brought it to him_.

Niki seemed to notice the gears turning in Sunoo’s head, because he gave the older’s hand a squeeze this time, slowly intertwining their hands. Sunoo looked down at their hands, feeling his face flush.

“I’m so sorry to hear that dear,” his mother said, “If you want you can stay here for today, I’ll talk with Sunoo’s father about what we should do.” She reassured him, patting his shoulder soothingly.

Niki agreed to that, and they spent the rest of the day together. Sunoo wanted to introduce Niki to Heeseung and Sunghoon, but Niki wasn’t comfortable with going out, so he tossed that plan and decided they would watch a movie instead.

Sunoo brought snacks and drinks and they sat on Sunoo's bed to watch the movie. Sunoo felt a strange sense of deja vu however, and halfway through the movie he looked over, finding the younger asleep again.

He chuckled and looked at the clock, it was 6:30 p.m, a small nap wouldn’t hurt right? He put the snacks on his desk and went back to tuck the younger boy in once again. He joined him under the covers, and fell asleep not long after, the two of them tucked away in Sunoo’s small bed.

-

It wasn’t a small nap after all, because the two boys slept through the entire night. Sunoo woke up, the small alarm clock reading 4 a.m. He sighed, he wasn’t tired anymore at all, and rolled over to look at Niki. The younger was still sleeping. Sunoo looked at him, _his face finally looked peaceful,_ he thought, smiling at the sight.

Niki stirred, opening his eyes slowly. Sunoo pretended like he hadn’t been staring at him for the past 5 minutes, looking around the room as if he hadn’t seen it before. “Hyung….what time is it?” The younger asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

“Around 4 in the morning.” Sunoo sheepishly replied.

Niki groaned, falling back down on the bed. Sunoo scoffed, _he really acts like he owns the place,_ he thought, but he found himself not minding having the Japanese boy in his room, or sleeping in his bed for that matter.

Sunoo quietly laid down again as well, the two of them laying on their backs, staring at the ceiling, the silence was too much for Sunoo so he softly asked, “Do you…..do you maybe want to talk? You know...about anything?”

He didn’t get a response right away, and he was scared he had angered the younger again, but then he spoke, tone soft and voice wavering, “I’m scared.”

Sunoo was shocked, whipping his head around to look at the younger, who had his eyes shut tightly, and continued talking, “You know, my dad isn’t a bad man. When it was the three of us, we had so much fun. We’d go out to play soccer at the small park near our house, or we’d stay in and play games. But since….my mom,” he swallowed, letting out a sigh, “he just doesn’t know how to cope with it, and I’m definitely not defending his actions, but I know he can do better. I know _we_ can do better, together.”

Niki finished, and Sunoo gaped at him. It was probably the most the younger had said in one breath. Niki opened his eyes, looking at Sunoo. They stayed like that again, staring at each other. Sunoo noticed Niki was very pretty, not that he hadn’t noticed before, but up close he had a perfect view of the little mole under his eye, the slope of his nose, and his lips, that seemed so soft, Sunoo wanted to reach out again.

“It’s okay to be scared Niki-ah, and I know you and your dad can figure it out, together. And if you want…..I can help you as well.” Sunoo answered, whispering the last part, but he was sure Niki heard it.

The younger chuckled, smiling that smile of his again, the one that had Sunoo’s stomach in a frenzy. They were both laying on their sides, looking at each other. They were really close, and Sunoo had to stop himself once again from staring at the other.

Niki didn’t seem to mind though, and Sunoo didn’t know if he was hallucinating, but he swore he saw the younger scoot even closer, if that was possible. Niki hesitantly lifted a hand, and things were the exact opposite this time, Niki’s thumb stroking across the older’s face. Sunoo was probably beet red at this point, which was ironic, considering he was doing the same a week ago.

“Hyung can I…...can I do something?” Niki asked, biting his lip. Sunoo nodded, and he hoped the younger didn’t have to get up for whatever he had to do, Sunoo was probably the most comfortable he had been in a while.

The younger didn’t get up, but moved his face closer to Sunoo. The older wasn’t dense, and he knew what he wanted to do. Sunoo gulped, eyes fluttering shut.

The kiss was short, it was more of a peck really, Niki’s lips coming to rest on Sunoo’s for a couple of seconds, but it felt like hours to Sunoo. Niki’s lips were indeed soft, and before Sunoo knew it, the younger had pulled away, Sunoo chasing after him.

Niki chuckled, still rubbing his thumb on Sunoo’s cheek. “Thank you hyung, for looking after me, even though I know I was a pain.” Sunoo chuckled at that, he certainly was, but Sunoo didn’t mind, not if it was Niki.

“That’s okay, I wouldn’t want you any other way, being a pain and all.” Sunoo breathed out, laughing slightly. Niki laughed at that as well, and they laid there for a bit more, Niki’s arm around Sunoo’s waist, and the latter had his hands balled up in the younger’s shirt, head tucked under Niki’s chin.

They were happy, just being in each other’s presence.

-

Sunoo’s parents had talked to Niki’s father, apparently. They had told Niki, and Sunoo who was stuck to the younger like glue, that his father wanted to talk with him, to which Niki hesitantly agreed.

He asked Sunoo if he could go with him, and the older said, “Of course I will silly.” Resting his hand on the younger’s cheek, which had sort of become their thing over the last couple of days.

When they went to see Niki’s dad, or well Niki’s dad came to see them, father and son were both visibly nervous. The talk went well, Niki’s father saying that he would get his life back on track first, and that he wanted to be a better father. Niki teared up a bit at that, and the duo hugged it out after talking a bit more. Sunoo stayed on the sidelines, smiling at the sight.

Once they parted, Niki’s father said, “I think it’s best if you stay here for a while son, I already talked it over with Mrs. and Mr. Kim, and they thought that would be best as well, they seemed to have taken quite a liking to you.” Niki’s father chuckled.

Niki laughed as well, his eyes meeting Sunoo’s from across the room. They smiled at each other, and Sunoo was glad to see the younger’s face free from worry for once. And he was just glad to see the younger’s face.

Father and son parted, Niki’s father making sure to tell the younger he would visit as soon as he could, before waving one last time at his son and leaving the store. Niki made his way over to Sunoo, shyly grabbing the older’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Ready to go hyung?” He said.

“Yeah,” Sunoo said, laying his other hand on top of their intertwined ones, “let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> next up is the jakehoon backstory! will probably take a while to get that one out because exams man
> 
> let me know what you thought :D


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